Glossary

Point Spread: Also known as the line or spread, it is a number chosen by Las Vegas and overseas oddsmakers that will encourage an equal number of people to wager on the underdog as on the favorite. If fans believe that Team A is two touchdowns better than Team B, they may bet them as 14-point favorites. In a point spread, the negative value (-14) indicates the favorite and the positive value (+14) indicates the underdog. Betting a -14 favorite means the team must win by at least 15 points to cover the point spread. The +14 underdog team can lose by 13 points and still cover the spread. Notice as well a moneyline value connected with the spread (such as -14, -115). This is known as the vig or juice and is the percentage commission paid to the sportsbook to handle the bet. It means you have to risk $115 to win $100. The underdog may see a value such as +14, +105. This means you risk $100 to win $105 if your team covers the spread.

Total: Widely known as over/unders, it is basically a wager on whether the total points scored by both teams combined will be under or over a certain number. If that number is 52.5, you need 52 points or less to win an under bet (example 30-17 final = 47 points which is under 52.5) and 53 points or more to win over (example a 40-21 final = 61 points which is over 52.5).

Money Line: Usually reserved for baseball and hockey wagering in the old days, college football moneylines have grown in popularity. There is no spread, so your team just has to win the game, not win by a certain number of points. Like the spread, a negative value means a favorite (-180) and a positive value indicates a dog (+160). Picture the number 100 sitting in the middle of these two values. Example: if you want to back a -180 favorite, you risk $180 to win $100. On the +160 dog, you risk $100 and win $160 if the underdog wins.